Thomas Ciufo - 2025 - The Rising Moon

(57:42; Neuma Records)






















Track list:
1. The Rising Moon 6:01
2. Still Arriving 5:18
3. Motion/Stasis 7:10
4. The Day After the Day Before 3:24
5. Out of Silence 5:09
6. Light and Shadows 3:53
7. Bardo (The Space Between) 7:15
8. Turning the Wheel 6:26
9. The Quiet Sun 4:55
10. Loss and Acceptance (Still Listening) 8:11

Line-up:
Thomas Ciufo - all instruments


US composer and sound artist Thomas Ciufo has been creating music and soundscapes since the 1980s or thereabouts, and has a number of released albums and composed works to his name over the years. His most recent production dates back to the summer of 2025. This album is called "The Rising Moon", and was released through US label Neuma Records.

Slow moving landscapes of sound is what we get on all of the compositions at hand here. This is music that comes with an automatically relaxing feel and attitude. Nothing is in a hurry in the soundscapes created here, as pace and movements are gradually developing without any dramatic impulses being present.

The word cosmic is one I suspect most people that encounter this album will make use of, with many of the compositions really emphasizing that associations towards being somewhere out in space. Drone style textures are key elements in this setting, with  fluctuating movements and careful surges being important effects throughout.

While the compositions are rather similar in nature, there are subtle differences from one to the other. We may get a stronger emphasis on surges and a rise and fall type of movement than a strictly fluctuating pattern, the use of light and dark tones will be different from one composition to the next, and subtle use of noise effects comes into play in some of the creations here that adds a subtly unique characteristic to those constructions. The use of voice-like sound textures is also explored in an intriguing manner, as well as tones and sounds that come across as cold in contrast to sounds that gives you the association of being more warm and organic. On some occasions we also get individual motifs with a little bit more of a dominant placement in the mix that will be of a more distinct and defining nature due to that. 

Most of all this is a careful, relaxing and relaxed trip into cosmic soundscapes though, ambient landscapes that are well suited for more introspective experiences, daydreaming and meditation. One of those albums where you put on the headphones, push play on the CD, close your eyes and leave the world behind for the 57 minutes and a bit that is the play time of this CD. A production to seek out if you tend to find ambient, cosmic landscapes an enjoyable and rewarding type of music.

Olav M. Björnsen, October 2025

Links:
https://www.ciufo.org/
https://neumarecords.org/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ken Field - 2024 - The Canopy

Image
(30:19; Neuma Records) Track list: 1. The Serving 2:24 2. Also Known As 1:49 3. Laevinic Defeat 1:43 4. Culture 4:46 5. Four Words 1:41 6. Mirror 3:06 7. Day by Day 3:24 8. Deluge 3:55 9. Darkness into Light 7:31 Line-up: Ken Field - all instruments US composer and musician Ken Field is a veteran in US music circles, with tenures in bands exploring the fields of world music, jazz and progressive rock in his resume, as well as composing music for television shows. In addition he has been active as a solo artist since the middle of the 1990s, with more than a dozen albums to his name as of 2024. "The Canopy" is his latest studio album, and was released by US label Neuma Records in the fall of 2024. The music on this album was commissioned for a dance performance, where the topic of the performance were expressions of loss, love and resilience. These are emotions that all shine through in these compositions too, and besides the emotional resonances that comes with the different ...
Read more

King Sable: Nothing But The Truth (2024) - mini-review

Image
Swiss band King Sable are out with the album "Nothing But The Truth", and metal is the style explored on this production. The core foundation of this band is what I'd describe as a more contemporary take on the traditional heavy metal form, with a nice array of chugging guitar riffs and galloping riff and rhythm constellations being something of a mainstay. More distinct staccato riff and rhythm arrangements expand the boundaries somewhat though, and along with that we have the combination of more controlled and melodic lead vocals with a bit of a talk like mode of delivery alternating with more aggressive vocal displays that have a stronger attachment to the hardcore tradition. With liberal use of guitar solo overlays that adds a more distinct melodic touch to the proceedings that offset and contrast with the more aggro sometime vocal displays. An album to seek out by those who find the notion of melodic heavy metal seasoned with a bit of hardcore aggression to be an int...
Read more

Kenneth Roy - 2020 - Chairman

Image
(39:34; Physico Records) Track list: 1. Chairman 3:32 2. Two of a Kind 3:33 3. Let Your Love Come Down 3:19 4. In the Night 5:10 5. Think I'll Stay in the City Tonight 5:06 6. After Dawn 3:46 7. Empty Heart 3:41 8. I Still Love You So 3:21 9. Our Love Will Last 3:54 10. Close Enough to Know 4:12 Line-up: Kenneth Roy - vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards, synthesizers, melodica, effects Doctor Ryman - guitars, drums, bass, arrangements, effects with: Baron Chase - bass Richard Howell - saxophones, arrangements Geechi Taylor - trumpet Danny Armstrong - trombone Veteran US artist Kenneth Roy has been around for the last three decades or thereabouts, but as I haven't been able to trace just how many albums he has released over the years I don't know how productive he has been over the years. The album "Chairman" dates back to 2020, and appears to be the most recent of his excursions as a solo artist. I was fairly impressed with this album when I gave it a more superf...
Read more